Last.



UNITED STATES VPATENT OFFICE.

FREDERIC B. ABBOTT, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS,-AssIeNoR'TOsAMUEL PORTER aCo., OF WORCESTER, MAssACHUsETTs.v

LAST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Lettersl Patent No. 660.321, datedOctober23, 1900. Application led January 17, 1899. Serial No. '702,385- (NoInodel.)

To all whnin t may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERIC B. ABBOTT, a citizen or' the United States,residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts,have invented a new and useful Last, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to that class of lasts having body and heelportions connected together by hinges; and the object of this inventionis to provide a hinged last of this class with a spring for normallyholding the parts of the last in line with eac-h other, so as to insureuniformity in the size of shoes lasted on any one particular last.

To this end the invention consists of the parts and combinations ofparts, as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out inthe Claim at the end of this specification.l v

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side View of a lastconstructed according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a side view partiallybroken away to show the form of spring preferably employed, and Fig. 3is a similar View showing` the parts of the last in a different relativeposition.

In the use of a last in which the body portion and heel portion arehinged together, so that the last can be withdrawn by turning up theheel portion, as illustrated in Fig. 3, it happens frequently that theparts of the last are not fully straightened out into line with eachother during the lasting operation, and this in practice has been foundto be objectionable, as it results in more or less variation in thelength o'f shoes lasted upon the same last. To overcome this objection,Ihave provided a hinged last in which a spring is arranged to normallyhold the parts in line with each other, so as to insure uniformity inthe shoes lasted thereon, While at the same time the spring is arrangedto yield or have suicient flexibility so that the last can be readilywithdrawn from a shoe.

Referring to the drawings and in detail, a last constructed according tomy invention preferably comprises a body portion A and a heel portion B.A kerf is cut in the portions A and B to receive a hinge, as C, thesides of the korf being preferably filled with leather C is secured inplace by screws or rivets, as shown by dott-ed lines in Figs. 2 and 3. Asocket is bored in the body portion A-of the last to receive a spring E,which engages the end of a wooden or metal dowel or pin F.

When the body'and heel portions of the last are turned with respect toeach other to draw a last, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the pin F will beforced back in its socket, compressing the spring E; but the springE hassufficient elastioity to normally hold the parts of the last in linewith each other with sufficient stiffness to insureshoes lasted being ofa uniform size. By this arrangement of pin or plug F and spring E, Ihave provided a construction which in practice I have found will givethat degree of rigidity or stiffness which is required in the use ofhinged lasts for holdingthe body portion and heel parts in line witheach other during the lasting operation-that is to say, by employing alasthaving body and heel parts with inclined faces leaving an angularspace above the hinge and by employingl a coiled spring and pin mountedin one of the said parts, so as to extend across' the open angular spaceand bear upon the inclined face of the other part at an oblique anglethereto, I have provided an arrangement by means of which acomparatively weak spring will secure sufficient leverage to hold orlock the parts of thelast in line with each other, so that aconsiderable force can be exerted without closing or operating the hingeof the last. Furthermore, by this arrangement I have provided aconstruction in Vwhich the degree of stiffness or locking action of theplug or pin can be varied without changing the stiffness of the springsemployedthat is to say, by simpl yboring sockets for receiving thespring at various angles to vary the inclination of the pinor plug Fwith respect to the surface that it engages the pin or plug F will holdthe parts of the last in linewith each other with greater or lessdegrees of stiffness, as may be required.

I am aware Jthat changes may be made in or other Iiexible material, asD. The hinge f the details of the construction of my last by IOCexpressed in the claim. I do not Wish, therefore, to be limited to theforni of cons-truel tion herein illustrated; but

being arranged lo extend woross the open ztnl gula-r space and normallyhearing on thein- WhatI do claim, and desire toseeure by elined face ofthe other part at :tn oblique Letters Patent of the United States, isangle thereto, substantially as described.

In a lust, the combination of a body purt, a, In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto set heel part, a hinge Connecting the body and l my handin the presence of two subscribingr heel parts, said parts havinginclined fztces Witnesses. leaving an open angular space above the FRED.B. ABBOTT. hinge, and a coiled spring and pin mounted Witnesses:

CHAS. B. MEACHAM, WILLIAM J. BARRY.

in asooket in one of said parts to exert a@ constant pressure tending tohold the parts of the last in line with veach other, said pin

